A groundbreaking ceremony seven years in the making was finally held Thursday in Downtown Brooklyn, ushering in what developers and elected officials hope will be

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN - A groundbreaking ceremony seven years in the making was finally held Thursday in Downtown Brooklyn, ushering in what developers and elected officials hope will be a new day for the borough.

With Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Gov. David Paterson, Jay-Z and many others in attendance, workers broke ground on the $4.9 billion, 22-acre Atlantic Yards project, which will include the Barclays Center - an arena for the Brooklyn Nets - office towers and apartments.

"Atlantic Yards is the largest private investment [job creator] in Brooklyn history," said Bloomberg.